Japan & South West Scotland

Mystery Donors

Mystery Donors

Today Dumfries Museum no longer collects material from other
cultures, unless it has a strong local connection or a unique story
to tell. However, our reserve collection contains many
interesting items from all over the world collected by our
predecessors. This exhibition has given us the opportunity to
re-visit these items and examine their role in the history of
Japan.

Miss Dorothy
Sandeman

Although it is not known where all of the Japanese items in the
Dumfries Museum collection came from, some can be traced to a
donation in 1954 by Miss Dorothy Sandeman, from the south side of
Glasgow. A few of the highlights of her collection are the
inrō, the lacquer teapot, the ceramic flask with men
catching fish, and the scroll painting of the pigeons.

So far, a connection between Dorothy Sandeman and Dumfries has
not been found. There may be a possible link with the
Sandeman family from Perth, who were well-known patrons of the arts
and in 1898 had a public library named in their honour. The
family was involved in textile manufacturing, and the distilling
and importing of alcohol, and, whether or not they are related to
Dorothy, these kinds of trades are often how art from overseas ends
up in Scottish collections.

Miss Helen
Murray

Another group of Japanese items was donated to Dumfries Museum
in the 1950s by Miss Helen Murray, Miss M Murray and the late Mrs
Murray. They were registered as living in the west end
and south side of Glasgow. The bronze mirror and the
matchlock gun are the most eye-catching of their donations.
Additional Japanese items from the Murray collection that are
not currently on display include lacquer ware, a vase, a large
incense vessel and other ceramics.

Due to the common occurrence of their surname, the Murray family
and their link to this area has not yet been identified. As
well as Japanese items, Helen Murray also donated objects from
China, Tibet, and Mongolia, suggesting that someone in her family
was well travelled.

If you have any information about our donors please let the
staff at the Information Desk know.